


Trapped

by JayEz



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drowning, Hurt, M/M, Near Death Experience, Prompt Fill, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-17
Updated: 2014-05-17
Packaged: 2018-01-25 11:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1646858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayEz/pseuds/JayEz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trapped in the sewers with the water level continuously rising, Sherlock has to face his impending death.<br/>666-word prompt fill for merlenhiver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trapped

**Author's Note:**

  * For [merlenhiver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlenhiver/gifts).



> Many, many thanks to my brilliant beta [Iriya](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Iriya/pseuds/Iriya)! 
> 
> This drabble has exactly 666 words (which was more than I expected) and was written for a prompt from [merlenhiver](http://archiveofourown.org/users/merlenhiver) in the course of my 666 Follower Celebration over at [tumblr](http://multifandom-madnesss.tumblr.com/) and originally posted there.
> 
> Merlenhiver wanted lots of angst so this is what she got... Consider yourselves warned!

Sherlock gasps for air. He is running out of time ( _five minutes left_ ) and his arms are tiring quickly after almost half an hour of being trapped here. 

‘Here’ is a small part of the London sewer system, a room that fills with water during periods of heavy rain to ease the strain on the regular tunnels. Sherlock knows exactly where he is, can name all the busy street several feet above him, beyond the grate above his head. There is hardly any space between the bars, barely enough to hold onto, so Sherlock has no choice but to keep his body afloat with his own strength. 

In approximately three minutes, the water will be too high. In approximately three minutes, Sherlock will be drowning. 

He went off alone to keep John safe, to avoid drawing him deeper still into the intertwined mess that is Moriarty and Mycroft and all Sherlock’s fault. But Sherlock made a grave mistake, a blunder that will cost him his life now. 

_Idiot_ , John’s voice echoes inside his head. 

He coughs as some of the water splashes into his mouth, paddling his arms frantically. He has to crane his neck now, stretch it up to avoid swallowing even more. 

Two minutes. 

This experience differs profoundly from being shot. He is conscious and apart from supplying a map of his surroundings with the certain knowledge that he has no way out, Sherlock’s mind palace denies him access. His thoughts are too loud, an explosive turmoil at the back of his head. 

Images flash before his inner eye – a limping soldier in St Bart’s; a fireplace in Baskerville; the same soldier, not limping anymore, standing at his grave, asking for a miracle. 

It seems as if Sherlock is only capable of fulfilling one miracle in his lifetime. 

One and a half minutes. 

The thought stimulates his imagination – what events will unfold after he drowns? Will Mycroft break free of Moriarty’s grip now that his pressure point is no more? Will Moriarty burn or escape in time, maybe with Mary’s help? 

And what about John?

Will John mourn him like last time or will he cling to hope, waiting for him in that restaurant, expecting every waiter with a silly accent to be Sherlock, resurrected from the dead? 

John will have to wait an eternity. 

One minute. 

Panic spreads through Sherlock’s chest. He has many regrets in life, from drug- induced bad decisions to hubris-tainted rejections and cowardly moments of hesitation. 

For months Sherlock thought opting out, making a silly quip, was the best decision he could have made. At the brink of death, he hates himself for it. His mind tortures him with visions of what might have happened had he not acted the coward he was. Three little words might have changed everything, if only Sherlock had said them out loud. 

A scream threatens to tear from his throat but Sherlock forces it down, blinks the tears away because he needs the oxygen, has to press his lips to the space between the bars and squeeze his eyes shut since the water level has eventually reached the room’s ceiling. 

John will never know. He wishes he could have at least met death with John to witness it, if only to see the man one last time. 

The thought of John’s arms around him fills Sherlock’s head, is all he can focus on as he coughs without room to do so, fingers clawing at the grating but losing their strength as the water rises and swallows him whole. 

Sherlock kicks desperately, reaching out blindly for the grate, though he feels the energy leave his body as less and less oxygen remains inside of him, making him numb all over, dimming his mind to darkness. 

He swears he can feel strong arms around him, on his chest, his face, and decides it is better than any light there might have been to see. 

Then he splutters, coughs up sewer water and opens his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> I live on air and feedback, so don't be shy :)
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr, either at my [multifandom blog](http://multifandom-madnesss.tumblr.com/) or my [writer's blog](http://jayez-fanfiction.tumblr.com/) (or both!^^).


End file.
